The present invention relates generally to packages for use in microwave ovens, pertains more particularly to an easily expandable, flexible popcorn package, and pertains specifically to an easily expandable, flexible popcorn package minimizing rapid leaking of fluid contents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,220 describes a conventional microwave cooking bag which has achieved considerable market success. Such bags are designed to intentionally vent along its top end which is intended to be opened after the popcorn has been popped and when held in a vertical orientation. When removed from the microwave oven, the bag is often orientated such that the bottom end is closest the microwave door opening and thus is often grasped by the user for purposes of removing the bag from the microwave oven. When so grasped, the bag will tend to be held in an inverted orientation, i.e., with the bottom end being in a vertically upward position while the top end is in a vertically lower position. In such a position, any liquid or fluid material such as melted fat can leak or freely flow through the vent opening in the top end. Such liquid or fluid material flowing from the vent opening may come in contact with persons removing the bag from the microwave oven or persons or pets nearby. This has not poised a significant problem for most buttered or unbuttered popped popcorn as the amount of liquid or fluid material is small. This could be a problem if the popcorn was severely underpopped, the fat, oil, butter or the like was in a flowable condition, and the bag had vented, the frequency of which together with the unlikely event that contact, especially contact of any significant length of time, is not significant. However, the proposed introduction of isomalt sweet coated popcorn or similar products for preparing a carmel microwave popcorn (see, USSS entitled “SWEET MICROWAVE POPCORN AND METHOD OF PREPARATION” to H. Teoh) has significantly increased the possibility of contact with persons or pets with a hot liquid or fluid material. Specifically, ingredients for such sweetened popcorn packages are intended to result in larger amounts of a hot viscous slurry during the popping of the popcorn which is intended to coat the popcorn during popping. The time for such slurry to cool down to transform from a flowable state to a non-flowable state can be longer than hurried consumers expect (based upon prior experience with fat flavored microwave popcorn), and the amount of such slurry is significantly greater than the amount of liquid or fluid material in a buttered or unbuttered popcorn package. Another factor is that such molten carbohydrate slurry is intended to coat the popped popcorn and thus has a greater tendency to cling to skin or other surface rather than run therefrom such as in the case of oil, fat, butter, or the like.
Thus, a need exists for a microwave popcorn popping bag and methods for minimizing contact of liquid or fluid material exiting a bag as the bag is being removed from a microwave oven or being transported thereafter.